DBEW Award Debuts in Milan with a New Model for Design Education

The DBEW (Design Beyond East and West) Award was introduced at the ADI Design Museum during Milan Design Week 2026, in collaboration with Kookmin University. This award honors both students and educators, highlighting innovative partnerships. By March, the competition attracted more than 800 submissions from 44 nations. Ten teams were awarded first place, alongside thirty Honorable Mentions, with trophies crafted from reclaimed Korean pine. The judging panel featured Paola Antonelli, Lou Yongqi, John Thackara, and Stefano Giovannoni, with comments from Lorenzo Imbesi and Emilia Gatto. An open forum addressed AI's role in design education. The Gold award went to Baoyi Huang for 'Ecological Samsara Soundscape Transformation of Parkwood Springs,' while Silver was claimed by Ni Xinghao, Rongwei Yan, and Du Wang for 'CutisRANA,' and Bronze by Camilla Vicario et al. for 'ALUA.' This initiative builds upon over twenty years of research by Choi Kyung Ran's Oriental Design Cultural Design (ODCD).